Sound reducing tongue and groove member sound reducing fabrication process and sound reducing blend

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a sound-reducing member, a sound-reducing fabrication process, and a sound-reducing blend. The member includes a treatment region and a sound-reducing blend positioned at a location within the treatment region. The sound-reducing blend being positioned at the location provides sound mitigation. The process includes applying a sound-reducing blend to a location within a treatment region of a member. The sound-reducing blend being positioned at the location provides sound mitigation. The blend provides sound mitigation when applied to a location within a treatment region of a member.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tongue and groove products, blends fortongue and groove products, and processes of fabricating tongue andgroove products. More specifically, the present invention relates tosound reduction of such products and processes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tongue and groove products, such as tongue and groove flooring, are usedin various facilities where quick assembly is desired and/or wherelateral stability is desired. These products include features forengaging individual members that form an assembly of the products. Thefeatures can include male parts or tongues and/or female parts orgrooves. Tongue and groove products engage each other along suchfeatures.

Known tongue and groove products suffer from a drawback that they can benoisy when walked upon. When tongue and groove floors are walked on,force is applied downward and/or in a lateral direction. Such forcesdistribute in numerous directions due to the mating features of thetongue and groove flooring. Such complex mating features result in theseforces generating noises. Such noises are especially loud and frequentwhen installed at inconsistent temperatures and/or at temperatures ofless than 60° F. Known products with waxes positioned on horizontalsurfaces in regions that generate noises have failed to reduce suchnoises. To the contrary, known waxes have been positioned in regionsthat generate noises and/or have compositions that fail to reducenoises.

A tongue and groove member or assembly, a fabrication process, and ablend that do not suffer from one or more of the above drawbacks wouldbe desirable in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiment, a sound-reducing tongue and groove memberincludes a treatment region within the member and a sound-reducing blendpositioned at a location within the treatment region. The sound-reducingblend being positioned at the location provides sound mitigation.

According to another embodiment, a sound-reducing fabrication processincludes applying a sound-reducing blend to a location within atreatment region within a member. The sound-reducing blend beingpositioned at the location provides sound mitigation.

According to another embodiment, a sound-reducing blend provides soundmitigation when applied to a location within a treatment region within amember.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following more detailed description of the preferredembodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings whichillustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement protrusion according to the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement recess corresponding to the flooring member of FIG. 1according to the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement protrusion and an engagement recess according to thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement protrusion and an engagement recess corresponding to theflooring member of FIG. 3 according to the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement protrusion and an engagement recess according to thedisclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary tongue and groove flooring member havingan engagement protrusion and an engagement recess corresponding to theflooring member of FIG. 5 according to the disclosure.

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to represent the same parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Provided is a sound-reducing tongue and groove member or assembly, asound-reducing fabrication process, and a sound-reducing blend.Embodiments of the present disclosure reduce or eliminate noisesgenerated from walking on a walking surface, include a desirablehardness, include desirable lubricity, include a desired lack oftackiness, include desirable wear resistance, include desirableresistance to flaking, and combinations thereof.

Referring to FIG. 1, a sound-reducing tongue and groove member 100includes a treatment region 102 extending from an outer surface 104,such as a walking surface, a covered outer surface, an uncovered outersurface, a finished outer surface, and/or an unfinished outer surface ofthe member 100. Additionally or alternatively, in one embodiment, thetreatment region 102 extends from a lower surface 105 of the member 100,is positioned on an engagement protrusion 103, is positioned in anengagement recess 202 (see FIG. 2), or combinations thereof.

The member 100 further includes a sound-reducing blend 108 positioned onone or more locations 107 within the treatment region 102. Thepositioning of the sound-reducing blend 108 provides sound mitigation,which may reduce or eliminate noise generated from walking on the outersurface 104, which may reduce or eliminate noise generated fromexpansion and contraction of the member 100, which may reduce oreliminate noise generated from other forces applied to the member 100,or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the sound mitigation reduces or eliminates noise evenwhen the member 100 is installed at inconsistent temperatures and/or ata predetermined temperature or temperature range, for example, at about70° F., at about 60° F., at about 50° F., between about 50° F. and about70° F., between about 50° F. and about 60° F., between about 60° F. andabout 70° F., less than about 70° F., less than about 60° F., less thanabout 50° F., less than about 40° F., less than about 35° F., or anycombination or sub-combination thereof. In a further embodiment, thesound mitigation reduces or eliminates noise even when the member 100 isused in conditions at a higher temperature, for example, at about 60°F., at about 70° F., at about 80° F., at about 90° F., at about 100° F.,between about 60° F. and about 100° F., between about 70° F. and about90° F., between about 70° F. and about 80° F., greater than about 60°F., greater than about 70° F., greater than about 80° F., or anycombination or sub-combination thereof.

The member 100 is any suitable material, including, but not limited to,wood, wood composite, vinyl, polymeric material, stone, ceramics, metal,or a combination thereof. Suitable woods include, but are not limitedto, birch, poplar, oak, pine, maple, hardwoods, softwoods, treated woodspecies, untreated wood species, and combinations thereof. Suitable woodcomposites include, but are not limited to, medium density fiberboard,high density fiberboard, low density fiberboard, filled polymercomposites, wood plastic composites, veneers over different woods orover non-wood or partially wood materials, and recycled or blendedmaterials having cellulosic components. Suitable vinyl compositionsinclude, but are not limited to, polyvinylchloride, luxury vinyl tile,vinyl compositions of vinyl composition tile, and vinyl compositions ofvinyl asbestos tile. Suitable polymeric materials include, but are notlimited to, poly plastic asphalt tile. Suitable stone materials include,but are not limited to, granite, marble, concrete, and cement. Suitableceramic materials include, but are not limited to, fired-ceramics.Suitable metal materials include, but are not limited to, steel,aluminum, iron, copper, alloys, and superalloys.

The member 100 is any suitable product or portion of a product that issubject to the generation of noise through forces being applied to theouter surface 104 and/or through expansion and contraction of the member100. In one embodiment, the product is a wood flooring assemblyincluding a plurality of the members 100 engaged to each other. Ingeneral, suitable tongue and groove products include, but are notlimited to, flooring, sub-flooring, structural floors, exposed floors,cabinets, drawers, ceilings, walls, cubicles, walkways, pavers, roads,bridges, decks, patios, homes, mobile homes, recreational vehicles,boats, airplanes, automobiles, trims, molding, transitions trips, andtrucks and truck trailers. The member 100 is capable of being positionedwithin the product, outside or on the exterior of the product, and/orunder other products and/or surfaces. The member 100 has a predeterminedthickness or thickness range, for example, between about 0.25 inches andabout 1 inch, between about 0.30 inches and about 0.65 inches, betweenabout 0.30 inches and about 0.50 inches, between about 0.35 inches andabout 0.40 inches, above about 0.1 inches, between about 0.1 inches andabout 0.2 inches, between about 0.1 inches and about 1 inch, or anycombination or sub-combination thereof.

In an embodiment where the member 100 is a composite, the member 100includes a substantially homogenous composition, such that interiorportions of the member 100 and exterior portions of the member 100include substantially the same composition. Exterior portions arecapable of including coatings, surface treatments, or other suitablematerials. In a further embodiment, the member 100 is devoid of embeddedwaxes and/or similar additives.

The member 100 includes a predetermined geometry permitting engagementof a second member 100 that is identical in geometry to the member 100or corresponds in geometry to the member 100. For example, referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, in one assembly, each of the members 100 includes twocontact surfaces 106 extending, for example, in a substantiallyhorizontal direction substantially parallel to the outer surface 104. Inone embodiment, one or more of the contact surfaces 106 are devoid ofthe sound-reducing blend 108 and/or other waxes. The contact surfaces106 extend from each of the treatment regions 102 and form theengagement protrusion 103 (see FIG. 1), such as a tongue, or theengagement recess 202 (see FIG. 2), such as a groove. Alternatively,only one of the contact surfaces 106 extends from the treatmentregion(s) 102, three of the contact surfaces 106 extend from thetreatment region(s) 102, or more than three of the contact surfaces 106extend from the treatment region(s) 102. In embodiments with more thanfour contact surfaces 106, all four of the contact surfaces 106, fewerthan four of the contact surfaces 106, or more than four of the contactsurfaces 106, extend from the treatment region(s) 102.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one assembly, each of the members 100includes two of the contact surfaces 106 extending, for example, in thesubstantially horizontal direction substantially parallel to the bottomsurface 302. On each of the members 100, one of the contact surfaces 106extends from the treatment region 102 and forms the engagementprotrusion 103 and one of the contact surfaces 106 extends from thetreatment region 102 and forms the engagement recess 202.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in one embodiment, each of the members 100includes one of the contact surfaces 106 extending, for example, in thesubstantially horizontal direction substantially parallel to the outersurface 104. Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the contact surface106 is apart from the treatment region 102 and is between the engagementrecess 202 and the engagement protrusion 103. Referring to FIG. 6, inone embodiment, the contact surface 106 extends from the treatmentregion 102 and forms a portion of the engagement protrusion 103.

According to an embodiment of the sound-reducing fabrication process,the sound-reducing blend 108 is applied to the location(s) 107 withinthe treatment region 102 of the member 100. In further embodiments, thetreatment region 102 includes the sound-reducing blend 108 and extendsin or only in the substantially vertical direction with respect to theouter surface 104 (see FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6), extends at or only at aninclined direction with respect to the outer surface 104 (see FIGS. 3and 4), or extends in or only in both the substantially verticaldirection and the substantially horizontal direction with respect to theouter surface 104 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

In general, although not intending to be bound by theory, noisegenerated by the member 100 is believed to be caused by verticalmovement occurring between the members 100 forming the assembly, such asa floor. The vertical movement is based upon force applied from theouter surface 104, for example, by an individual walking on the floor.The force from walking is in a diagonal direction (in relation togravity) and can be broken into a force vector having a horizontalcomponent and a vertical component. The tongue-and-groove featurespermit slight movement between the members 100 while maintaining agenerally stable assembly. The horizontal component of the force vectorpushes and pulls the members causing such slight movements. The verticalcomponent of the force vector causes the members 100 to frictionallyrub, thereby generating the noise. The sound-reducing blend 108lubricates and/or decreases the friction between the members 100,thereby reducing or eliminating the generation of noise.

The sound-reducing blend 108 provides sound mitigation when applied. Inone embodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108 includes a soft wax (notshown) and a hard wax (not shown), for example, homogenously mixed, insolution, in suspension, or combinations thereof. For example, in oneembodiment, the wax is a plant wax, an animal wax, a synthetic wax, aderivative thereof, or a combination thereof. In a further embodiment,the wax is an epicuticular wax, a candelilla wax, a retamo wax, asugarcane wax, a carnauba wax, an ouricury wax, a hydrogenated anddeodorized soybean oil or plant oils, a lanolin wax, a beeswax, alignite wax, a paraffin wax, a polyethylene wax, a polypropylene wax,polytetrafluoroethylene wax, a derivative thereof, or a combinationthereof. In one embodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108 includeshydrogenated soybean oil and/or a hydrogenated metathesis dimer. In oneembodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108 is substantially devoid of orcompletely devoid of oil. In one embodiment, the sound-reducing blend108 includes a paraffin. In one embodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108includes or is a biobased material. In one embodiment, thesound-reducing blend 108 is solid at room temperature.

In one embodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108 includes, by weight,between about 50%, about 70%, or 100% of a soft and oily wax having amelting point of about 53° C. to 56° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 35 to about 45 dmm at 25° C.

In one embodiment, the sound-reducing blend 108 includes, by weight,between about 30%, about 50%, or 100% of a hard and slick-to-touch waxhaving a melting point of about 67° C. to 71° C. and a needlepenetration of about 10.0 to about 20.0 dmm at 25° C.

Examples

A series of trials were conducted with various application positions andcompositions. The trials involved having an individual walk on a surfaceof the member 100 in a consistent manner. Evaluating individuals ratednoises generated from the member 100 to determine the intensity of thenoise generated on a scale of 1 to 4 (4 being the highest amount). Thesame individuals were used for each trial and the ratings between theevaluators were averaged. The individuals had been trained to ignoresounds generated from the shoes or ambient sounds so that they couldfocus on sound generated by the member 100.

In a control example, no treatment was applied to the member 100. Inthis control, the noise rating was about 1.5 when the outer surface 104of the member 100 was walked on.

In a first example, a treatment was applied to a predetermined location.The treatment was a blend including, by weight, about 50% of the softand oily wax having a melting point of about 53° C. to 56° C. and aneedle penetration of about 35 to about 45 dmm at 25° C. and about 50%of the hard and slick-to-touch wax having a melting point of about 67°C. to 71° C. and a needle penetration of about 10.0 to about 20.0 dmm at25° C. In this example, the noise rating was between about 1.0 and about1.5 when the outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

In a second example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was a blend including, by weight, about 70% ofthe soft and oily wax having a melting point of about 53° C. to 56° C.and a needle penetration of about 35 to about 45 dmm at 25° C. and about30% of the hard and slick-to-touch wax having a melting point of about67° C. to 71° C. and a needle penetration of about 10.0 to about 20.0dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise rating was about 1.0 when theouter surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

In a third example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was a blend including, by weight, about 50% ofthe hard and slick-to-touch wax having a melting point of about 67° C.to 71° C. and a needle penetration of about 10.0 to about 20.0 dmm at25° C. and about 50% of a very hard and slick-to-touch wax having amelting point of about 82° C. to 85° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 2 dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise rating was about 1.5when the outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

In a fourth example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was the soft and oily wax having a melting pointof about 53° C. to 56° C. and a needle penetration of about 35 to about45 dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise rating was about 1.0 whenthe outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

In a fifth example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was the hard and slick-to-touch wax having amelting point of about 67° C. to 71° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 10.0 to about 20.0 dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise ratingwas about 1.0 when the outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walkedon.

In a sixth example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was the very hard and slick-to-touch wax havinga melting point of about 82° C. to 85° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 2 dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise rating was about 2.0when the outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

In a seventh example, a treatment was applied to the predeterminedlocation. The treatment was a soft and sticky wax having a melting pointof about 74° C. to 78° C. and a needle penetration of about 25 to about35 dmm at 25° C. In this example, the noise rating was between about 1.5and about 3.0 when the outer surface 104 of the member 100 was walkedon.

In an eighth example, a treatment of the soft and sticky wax having amelting point of about 74° C. to 78° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 25 to about 35 dmm at 25° C. was applied to the contact surface106 oriented in a horizontal direction with respect to the outer surface104 in the engagement recess 202 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In this example,the noise rating was at about 3.0 when the outer surface 104 of themember 100 was walked on.

In a ninth example, a treatment of the soft and sticky wax having amelting point of about 74° C. to 78° C. and a needle penetration ofabout 25 to about 35 dmm at 25° C. was applied to a location within thetreatment region 102 oriented in an inclined direction with respect tothe outer surface 104 and bordering the engagement recess 202 (see FIGS.3 and 4). In this example, the noise rating was at about 1.5 when theouter surface 104 of the member 100 was walked on.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

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 20. A sound-reducing blend, wherein the sound-reducing blend provides sound mitigation when applied to a location within a treatment region within a tongue and groove member, the sound reducing blend comprising: a first wax; and a second wax blended with the first wax; wherein the first wax has a melting point between about 53° C. and about 56° C. and the second wax has a melting point between about 67° C. and about 71° C.
 21. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes a soft and oily wax.
 22. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the second wax includes a hard wax.
 23. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the sound-reducing blend is a solution, a mixture, a suspension, or a combination thereof.
 24. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes a plant wax, an animal wax, an epicuticular wax, a synthetic wax, or a combination thereof.
 25. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes a plant oil.
 26. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes a paraffin.
 27. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes a biobased material.
 28. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the sound-reducing blend is solid at room temperature.
 29. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax includes polytetrafluoroethylene.
 30. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax further includes candelilla wax, retamo wax, sugarcane wax, ouricury wax, lanolin wax, beeswax, lignite wax, paraffin wax, polyethylene wax, propylene wax, polytetrafluoroethylene wax, hydrogenated deodorized soybean oil, metathesis dimer, or a combination thereof.
 31. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax is at a concentration, by weight, of between about 50 percent and about 70 percent.
 32. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the second wax is at a concentration, by weight, of between about 30 percent and about 50 percent.
 33. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the first wax has a needle penetration of between about 35 dmm and about 45 dmm at 25° C.
 34. The sound-reducing blend of claim 20, wherein the second wax has a needle penetration of between about 10 dmm and about 20 dmm at 25° C.
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